Living with Hepatitis

Lifestyle and Wellbeing

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to manage the virus. We recommend daily exercise, avoiding fatty and sugary food and drinks, and keeping your alcohol intake to a minimum. This is one of the most important things you can do to look after your liver. Regular and heavy alcohol intake will increase liver damage, speeding up the progression of liver disease, and raising the risk of cirrhosis.

If you have cirrhosis it's recommended you don't drink at all.

Whats the best diet for someone with hepatitis B?

For hepatitis B, doctors recommend eating a balanced diet with plenty of carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables to help the liver function properly. Everything a person eats or drinks passes through the liver. This organ filters the blood, removing nutrients and vitamins and metabolising harmful substances.

Doctors know that when people with hepatitis B follow a nutritious, well-balanced diet with whole grains and lean proteins, their liver function improves. Highly processed foods, fats, red meat, and sugary foods make the liver work harder, while fruit, vegetables, and whole grains support its function.

When a person’s liver is damaged, they may not absorb nutrients effectively. Researchers know that many are experiencing malnutrition. People who worked with a nutritionist to change their diets experienced an improvement in their liver function and a boost in nutrient levels.

Changes to a diet will not cure hepatitis B but increase the likelihood of the person’s liver recovering completely. Those who continue these eating habits reduce the amount of stress on their liver.

Foods to eat with hepatitis B

People with hepatitis B can enjoy many foods, including lean meats, fish, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. And its recommended to eat smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day.

Foods to eat more of include:

all types of vegetables, but increasing quantities of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, and other cruciferous vegetables
lean proteins, including fish, meat, and eggs
nuts and seeds
whole grains and cereals, including brown rice, quinoa, barley, beans, lentils, and oatmeal
fruit
low-fat dairy items, including cottage cheese and skim milk
fortified soy products, including tofu
vegetable oils, including olive and rice bran or canola

The researchers add that people can eat the vegetables raw or cooked and that frozen, tinned, and fresh varieties all help.

They advise people to wash fresh fruit and vegetables to remove any preservatives or insecticides that might be on the skin. These chemicals place a strain on the liver.

Most people need to increase their intake of complex carbohydrates and choose more nutrient-dense, whole-grain varieties, including whole-wheat bread and pasta.

Foods to avoid with hepatitis B

Cutting back on certain foods can help the liver function. Foods to reduce or eliminate from the diet include:

fast food or takeaway food
fried foods, including potato chips
full fat dairy products, including cream and butter
saturated fats
highly processed foods, including hot dogs, cured meats such as ham, store-bought salad dressings, and sweetened breakfast cereals
salty foods and salt
rich sauces and relishes
sugary foods and drinks, including sodas, cookies, and many packaged baked goods
raw or undercooked shellfish

Highly processed foods usually contain a lot of fat, salt, and sugar and make a person’s liver work hard.

Other lifestyle tips

People with hepatitis B also benefit from simple lifestyle changes.

quitting smoking, if applicable
keeping hydrated by drinking lots of water
avoiding or cutting back on alcohol
achieving and maintaining a moderate weight
being physically active
stopping any vitamin or herbal supplements that are harsh on the liver

They also recommend checking with a pharmacist or doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications.

Five reasons to stay active

Regular exercise has plenty of health benefits, no matter what age, size or shape you are. For people who have or who are at risk of liver disease, it’s an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are five reasons why exercise is good for you.

1. It keeps your weight down

Physical activity helps you maintain weight loss and avoid gaining too much. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. If you’re short on time, even a few minutes’ walking is good. Try taking the stairs instead of the lift, or walk with a friend instead of catching up over coffee.

2. It helps you stay healthy

Want to show your liver some love and avoid making it work overtime? Exercise boosts good cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. It helps prevent or manage many health issues, such as diabetes, fatty liver disease and anxiety.

3. It’ll help put you in a good mood

What better way to cheer yourself up or de-stress than with a brisk walk or workout? Exercise fires up chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin, which regulate mood. So it’ll leave you feeling happier, more confident and relaxed, and less anxious.

4. It raises your energy levels

Regular exercise sends oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your heart and lungs work more efficiently, so you’ll have more energy to face the day with.

5. It can help you sleep better

Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep. But it’s a good idea not to exercise too close to bedtime or you may have too much energy to sleep easily.

* If you’re new to exercise, are pregnant or have any health issues or concerns, please check with your doctor before beginning any fitness programme.

Hepatitis and Diabetes

A liver that isn't working properly can cause diabetes. Research has shown having diabetes may cause liver disease. That's why it's vital people with diabetes talk to their GP about the health of their liver.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or when the body can’t effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the body’s cells to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells.

If the body can’t produce insulin or use it effectively, glucose levels in the blood increase. This is known as hyperglycaemia. Long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues such as the liver.

According to the Mayo Clinic, diabetes raises your risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that occurs in at least 50 percent of people with type two diabetes.

Healthy eating is an essential part of managing type one and type two diabetes. Finding a balance between this, physical activity and insulin or medication is important. Healthy eating and exercise is also an important part of managing other liver conditions.